For another week, Baton Rouge is grieving. On Sunday, a lone gunman, 29-year-old Gavin Long, of Kansas City, Missouri, shot six Baton Rouge law enforcement officers, killing three of them.
In the aftermath of mass shooting, dozens of restaurants across Baton Rouge and stretching all the way to Hammond will host fundraisers on Monday for the families of the deceased law enforcement officers.
The idea behind the upcoming day of fundraisers originated with a Facebook post from Metro Councilman and businessowner John Delgado. A day after the shootings, Delgado told his Facebook friends that two of his establishments—Huey’s Bar and the Draft House—will donate 25% of the proceeds of all their sales on Monday.
Hurt and angry about the attack, the owners of restaurants such as Brickyard South, Doe’s Eat Place, Walk-On’s, City Pork, Brew-Bacher’s Grill, Stroubes, Ichiban, Hello Sushi, Mestizo and Juban’s—to name only a few—decided to join him.
Also this week, Charles Steele Jr., president of the national Southern Christian Leadership Conference, told Daily Report the civil rights organization has indefinitely suspended The Rev. Reginald Pitcher, head of its Louisiana’s chapter.
Steele says Pitcher did not follow the organization’s protocol when he called an unauthorized economic boycott of the Mall of Louisiana, Cortana Mall and area Wal-Marts in response to Baton Rouge police killing Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man.
Here’s a rundown of other top stories from Daily Report this week:
- The Capital Area Transit System CEO Search Committee shortened the list of candidates for its CEO position from 17 to 12. One candidate on the short list immediately dropped out. Meanwhile, former CATS CEO Brian Marshall, who resigned in 2013, defended his decision to reapply for his old job. He did not make the short list of candidates to interview.
- In an effort to keep up with the private sector, the State Fire Marshal’s Office leveled its former system for day-to-day operations and implemented a new information management system.
- Together Baton Rouge condemned the shootings and killings of police officers during a press conference Tuesday. The faith-based group also urged mutual respect between the community and the police. Members of Together Baton also says its executive committee adopted a request from the governor’s office and the U.S. Department of Justice for the group to spearhead a community policing initiative.
- The LSU AgCenter Food Incubator is helping Ruth Flynn, the mother of former LSU Tigers quarterback Matt Flynn, to bring a new candy to the Baton Rouge market.
- Milano Square, a new shopping center, is going vertical on Florida Boulevard near the Airline Highway interchange.
- After 16 years in New York City, veteran restaurateur Carey LeGrange has returned to his native Baton Rouge to open a Caribbean-Louisiana fusion seafood restaurant, The Bullfish Bar+Kitchen, at 4001 Nicholson Dr., Suite D.
—Alexandria Burris
